Scientists Fear Climate Data Gap as Trump Aims at Satellites

The fear of a “climate data gap” within the scientific community stems from the Trump administration’s proposals to significantly cut or terminate key NASA Earth Science missions that collect essential, precise data on climate change drivers and effects from space.¹

The proposed cuts were part of the administration’s fiscal year 2026 budget request, which sought to align federal spending with a policy of prioritizing other areas, often at the expense of climate-related research.²

Here is a breakdown of the specific missions targeted and the resulting concerns:

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🛰️ The Targeted Satellites

The primary targets for defunding and potential termination were two highly advanced missions responsible for monitoring greenhouse gases:³

1. Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2): A free-flying satellite launched in 2014 that provides the gold standard for measuring global atmospheric carbon dioxide (⁴$CO_2$) concentrations with unprecedented precision.⁵
2. Orbiting Carbon Observatory-3 (OCO-3): An instrument attached to the International Space Station (ISS) launched in 2019, which provides complementary, detailed measurements of ⁶$CO_2$ and tracks plant photosynthesis in specific areas like the major tropical rainforests.⁷

The Administration’s Rationale

NASA officials stated that the termination was to align with the President’s budget priorities and that the missions were considered to be “beyond their prime mission.”⁸

📉 The Scientists’ Fear: The Data Gap

Scientists and experts worldwide voiced strong opposition, arguing that the termination of these missions would create a significant, potentially irreparable, data gap:⁹

• Loss of Precision: The OCO satellites provide the most accurate, highest-resolution data on the global carbon budget.¹⁰ This data is critical for understanding exactly where ¹¹$CO_2$ is being emitted and, more importantly, where it is being absorbed by natural systems (carbon sinks).¹² Shutting them down means losing the best available tool for this measurement.¹³
• Impaired Climate Modeling: The OCO data is integrated into global climate models used to project future warming and its impacts.¹⁴ Losing this consistent, high-quality data stream would degrade the accuracy of these models.¹⁵
• Impact on Agriculture and Disaster Prep: Beyond pure climate science, the OCO missions detect the subtle glow of photosynthesis in plants.¹⁶ This information is vital for farmers and agricultural experts to monitor drought severity, assess crop health, and anticipate potential food shortages.¹⁷ Other satellite programs under threat monitor data crucial for hurricane forecasting and tracking.
• Erosion of U.S. Leadership: Terminating these U.S.-led, publicly-funded missions would effectively take the United States “out of the information-generating game” on crucial global environmental intelligence, forcing scientists worldwide to rely on less precise data from other nations or private entities.¹⁸

🏛️ Broader Context

The satellite cuts were part of a broader effort to reduce federal investments in Earth and climate sciences, which also included proposed cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and attempts to remove or scrub climate data from federal websites.¹⁹

Ultimately, the future of these missions often rests with the U.S. Congress, which has the final say on budget appropriations, often leading to intense political negotiations over the funding of critical research infrastructure.

Would you like to know more about what scientists discovered about the Amazon rainforest using OCO data?